News

Mandatory EID an opportunity to increase productivity

With livestock electronic identification (EID) now mandatory in Victoria and end of financial year looming close, producers are encouraged to ensure they have the most advanced, value-adding technology on hand.

Elders’ livestock production manager, Rob Inglis says that many of his clients are aware of the new rules and are looking for ways to increase productivity with additional tools to support and add value to the EID.

“New products on the market are going beyond just making sure that farmers are compliant – they’re adding extra features that add to usability and assist in making better decisions,” says Mr Inglis.

The latest product generations have made rapid advances in terms of technological features whilst also improving the standard of accuracy for measurement.

“Tru-Test’s next generation of stick readers have long had a good reputation for measurement accuracy and durability, which is now complimented with added features in their new products, the XRS2 and SRS2,” says Mr Inglis.

Tru-Test Product Manager Joshua Baker says the changes reflect the rapid advances in the intuitiveness of information technology more generally.

“This technology needs to have the sophistication of a mobile phone yet be rugged for the harsh farming environment. It also needs to allow the user to be durable – to operate for long hours without stress or fatigue,” says Mr Baker.

“The XRS2 is designed to help famers capture and manage individual animal data while the SRS2 is for farmers who want to read tags but not necessarily capture other data beyond EID tags on the stick reader,” he says.

Also making improvement is Gallagher’s new range according to Mr Inglis.

“The TW-1 weigh scales have been designed with the farmer in mind and how they interact with equipment,” says Mr Inglis.

“Simple, touchscreen user interfaces that are easy to extract information have been a key focus in developing both of these products and it is evident in how logically the programming works,” he says.

Mike Hemsley, Gallagher’s EID Product Manager says that wherever possible, producers should also use these regulation changes as an opportunity to ensure they have products with add on functions that make evaluating results easy and give them the chance to vastly improve farm productivity.

“Products like the TSi2, Gallagher’s top of the line scale, enables farmers to make quick, efficient decisions with immediate access to all records, whether they’re in the yard, office or a paddock,” says Mr Hemsley.

“The product has comprehensive livestock management drafting capability (draft by weight, EID, or any rule a farmer chooses), accurate livestock inventory reporting capabilities, and the ability to predict the number of animals within a desired weight range at a given date, as well as a host of other features,” he says.

Also useful on farm is the HR5 Hand Held EID Tag Reader and Data Collector which is a powerful data-collection and editing device that’s portable, so farmers can record, edit and customise data anywhere on farm. Its large, easy-to-read display clearly shows visual and EID tag numbers and it can collect EID numbers and data. The unique “phone style” keypad lets users add and edit data in the yard, as well as many more features.

“The TW-1, which was available from early May, is ideal for finishers and graziers wanting to maximise weight gain, manage poor performers and maximise profit per hectare,” says Mr Hemsley.

“As with our other weigh gear, the TW-1 scale has been developed to meet the needs of livestock farmers who want reliable, robust scales with the latest in connectivity and ease of use.

“Until now, Gallagher’s stock-weighing systems have been served by both the robust W610/810 models and the TSi integrated scale range. The TW-1 weigh scale is a complete re-work, and given most farmers are well familiar with smartphones and touch screens, the TW-1 will fit easily into their range of devices. It seamlessly delivers them very useful, easy-to-follow and actionable information on how their livestock are performing.”